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Jacques Brunel, the Frenchman coaching Italy, had called on his side to make
wins such as this “a normal possibility”. Now they are.

Parochialism dictates that the import of this result will be translated into
its meaning for England, but this should be remembered as the day that Italy
truly arrived as an RBS Six Nations Championship force.

A muscular pack, led by the rampaging Sergio Parisse and containing Martin
Castrogiovanni, the match-winner more than held its own, while Luciano
Orquera won the battle of the fly halves with Frédéric Michalak.